Breton Butter Cakes (Kouign-Amann)

Makes: 12 pastries

Time: About 3 hours

Kouign-Amann (pronounced KWEEN ah-MAHN), which tastes like a caramelized croissant, hails from Brittany, where top-notch salted butter is made. And that’s what this cake is all about: salted butter (and sugar, which melts into soft, sweet caramel between the pastry’s layers). Use superfine sugar or make your own to avoid a gritty texture.

1. Combine the flour, yeast, and warm water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a dough hook or your hands to knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes for the mixer or 10 minutes by hand. If the mixture is shaggy and doesn’t come together easily, you may need to add a few drops of room-temperature water, up to ¼ cup, to get a smooth ball. Grease a separate large bowl with butter and add the dough; cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place it in the warmest spot of the house and let rise until about double in size, about 1 hour. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours.

2. Reserve 2 tablespoons butter and cut the rest into the tiniest pieces you can manage. Spread them out on a flat plate and place in the freezer until you’re ready to use.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and use a rolling pin to shape it into a large rectangle, about 24 × 8 inches. Scatter the cold butter evenly over the middle of the dough, leaving a border uncovered all around. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the sugar and press it lightly into the dough.

4. Fold the right side of the dough so that its edge meets the center, then fold the left side to the right, as you would a letter (see illustration, page 463). Seal the edges to keep the butter in place, then quickly roll the dough out into a rectangle again. Fold the dough like a letter once more, then place it on a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This is 1 turn; repeat the process 2 more times, sprinkling on ¼ cup sugar each time before you fold. Use your finger to make an indentation in the dough for each completed turn if you’re worried you’ll lose track.

5. Grease a muffin tin generously with butter and place it on a baking sheet (this will protect the inside of your oven from any runaway molten caramel). Sprinkle a surface with sugar. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the sugar-covered surface. Roll it into a rectangle again and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 equal squares.

6. Fold the edges of each square toward each other to form little cups and place each in the muffin tin. Set them aside to rise, about 30 minutes, or until puffy. Heat the oven to 415°F. Melt the reserved 2 tablespoons butter.

7. Drizzle the pastries with the melted butter and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup sugar over them. Place the baking sheet with the muffin tin in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cakes are a deep caramel color. Let the cakes cool slightly in the pan, only about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack. If you leave them in the pan for too long, they will start to stick. These are best enjoyed immediately, when warm.

Shaping Breton Butter Cakes

STEP 1
Fold the edges of each dough square to form little cups.

STEP 2
Place each pastry in the muffin tin.

CINNAMON-SUGAR KOUIGN-AMANN Spice up the classic recipe: Stir 2 teaspoons cinnamon into the sugar.